St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-29
PANCAKE HEFFNER,s VISIT.
AN Apache Mountain Hermit,s sud.
den HUNGER for Conn n m ianshin

An Apache Mountain Hermit's sud.
oen Hunger for CompaniOnship.
ne" York Suns Globe (Ariz.) Letter.
IL mad been whispered about the neigh
Dornood for several days that Old Pancake
ileHIer had reformed and was coming to
to"ii' and week ago Monday he put in an
appearance The lynehing of a horse
thlef' raid by Apaches, or pig gold
strike could not have caused greater excite
lleht. Everybody was out to see the old
man. and pretty much everybody has been
loilowihg nm around ever since.
HeHier Is hermit who has lived in the
Apache mountains, over near the Black
ii l.,,i LUZ more years than anybody here is
Wiling 10 make a guess on. He was there
when Globe was founded opd 49,,
Fremont came through this section the
hermit was an Old settler. He was not a
sOclaDle man. but nobody ever had anv
tfouDle WIN MN. Because he lived on nan
cakes ana would eat nothing else. the bovs
lickhamed MN "Oid Pancake and thouGh
IL was supposed that he had some money II
would not have surprised people here more IN
have seen all Indian riding i'm a nalaca COR
than it would if Old Pancake had spent
cent Tor anything not absolutely necessary
10 cover his nakedness and to Commend
the cakes which he fried OH a primitive
grddle. When word was first received that
he was changed man and was coming TO
town to i've nobody believed it. but as soon
as ne put i'll an appearance and manifested
disposition to be friendly, the news
spread and big crowd soon assembled.
The first thing that the old man did pos
TO lay i'll stock of clothing, buy himself q
trunk, hat or two, a box of cigars. a cane
ana satchel, and silver tobacco box Then
he went to the bank and deposited some
money. said to have been 81, OOO and with
crowd following him he proceeded to the
hotel. and after having been closeted in his
room for time he appeared in new cloth
ing. Having forgotten his collars. cuffs
ana necktles, he then entered store and
iaId III big supply, the latter being as CAV
as The town afforded; and when he had put
these on and had Joined the crowd in the
par.rooin, his hat on the back of his head.
his Dig cuffs hanging down over his thumbs.
and his clothing still full of creases he
smiled a little and said:
Boys, do look kinder human2n
The response was chorus of ssvou
nets" and as he followed this I'D by in
Vitng all hands to have something. he at
one StfOke gilded over what might other
wise nave Deen most awkward social
crisis, and at the same time won the regard
OF the entire community. Later on the old
man bought himself Sl4 silver watch and
plated chain. and still later he invested i'm
some handkerchiefs. pocket-knife and a
memorandum book. Seeing awell-dressed
citizen draw bunch of keys from his
pocket, Heffner proceeded to the hardware
store and bought himself a similar bunch.
aIler when he invited few of his new
found friends to have supper with him.
inn
ality, was careful not to partake too freely.
and for several days he had been indulging
his hospitable promptngs in way that
has left him none the worse, but which has
done the citizens of Globe a great deal of
good.
During all his tours about town, and his
receptions at the tavern, Old Pancake made
no reference to hiSpast life until day before
yesterday, when it was limited that he was
about to leave. The business men of
Globe hated to see him go. as business had
picked up wonderfully during his brief So
Journ here, but when they learned that he
was determined to take his leave thew
dropped in on him. few at a time. and
expressed the wish that he might return.
IL was at the hotel night before last that
the old hermit, in the presence of a
dozen or more friends, all of whom had
partaken freely at his expense. made the
only explanation that has yet been offered
of his conduct.
IN going away tomorrow, boys, and
faint tall prob'ble that you'll ever see ME
again. Still. as to that / won't say much
now. I'm II year old, and whatever | do
now must be done rather hasty, you see.
I'm going back to tile state that left near
fifty year ago, and if l can find any one
there that knows me I'll stay. If l can't.
Ill come back. I've been over On 'tother
side OF the mountains for more years than
you chaps are old, and for good many of
them years never spoke to a human being.
| know why / went there and why |
stayed. but why I've had a notion to leave
L can't tell +r -tr
1T all came on me in night. | went to
sleep as had done for thousands of nights.
perfectly contented to live by myself alone.
and having no wish to see anybody outside
l woke up the next morning hungry for
folks with longing to have something.
and with willingness to spend my money
for it. All that | know is that I'm cured
cured all over. l couldn't be hired to 90
back, and can only think of the past with
dread and horror. Before l left the old
place in the mountains tore down the hut.
and if you ever go there you won't find
trace of me. 1 threw everything into the
river, and tore up the ground that had been
trodden down, so that now no one can
tell where lived. / didn't want to think
of the old place being still there. | wiped
it out. by thunder. just as slick as was
wiped OUT
Yesterday morning Old Pancake took the
stage for the railroad, remarking to the boys
as he saw his trunk. satchel. umbrella and
overcoat deposited in the vehicle, that il
seemed kinder human" to be gong some
where. AS he drove off the good-byes of his
friends were shouted after him, and the old
man waved an adieu with gorgeous yellow
and red silk handkerchief. Men who came
in from the Black river country this after
noon say that Old Pancakes hut is gone
and that only those quite familiar with the
region could locate the place where it once
stood.